Back in Black

Ford unveiled its exclusive new colour-coded Ranger Black Edition pick-up at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week.

The Black Edition model is based on the popular Limited series and features a dechromed body in Absolute Black with a black finish for the radiator grille, alloy wheels, sports bar and exterior detailing.

The production run will be restrictedtojust2,500unitsand will be offered in Double Cab bodystyle only.

Standardkitincludessat-nav, front parking sensors and rear view camera, adding to the Limited series features such as FordSYNC3multimediasystem with 8-inch touchscreen, dualzoneelectronicclimatecontrol, leather seat trim, and powerfolding door mirrors.

Ford Ranger is Europe’s top selling pickup with sales of 23,100 for July 2017 year-todate, an increase of 12.1 per centoverthepreviousyear,and marking the best year for Ranger since launch.

At long last when we purchase a new vehicle we will have a better idea of what fuel economy it will deliver in real driving conditions.

For a new method of measuring fuel economy for cars has come into force this month.

The new tests replace a wildly inaccurate system that has not been updated for some 20 years and is designed to give motorists a realistic picture of fuel consumption in everyday use.

Under the regulations, all new cars sold in the UK will have to be tested on the road instead of only under laboratory conditions.

For years drivers have known that the so-called official fuel economy figures for their cars bore little resemblance to what they actually achieved.

The out of date former tests were highlighted by the VW emissions scandal which revealed test programmes could be fiddled to show false readings.

Now every new car destined for UK showrooms will need to undergo a new test called the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP),